Kayfabe. The Inside Wrestling RPG. A Roleplaying Game By Matthew Gwinn

Transcription

1 Kayfabe The Inside Wrestling RPG A Roleplaying Game By Matthew Gwinn

2 157 Canfield #11 Milan, MI USA Errant Knight Games. All Rights reserved. Reproduction without the written concent of the publisher is expressly forbidden. Special thanks go out to all the people that helped me playtest the game. They are: Norbert Gerald Matausch Franz Keim Florian Frohnholzer Klaus Guggenberger Scott Knipe Charles Miller Tom Danielle Hall Printed in the USA Credits Game Design: Matthew Gwinn Layout and Typesetting: Matthew Gwinn Artwork by: Jason Paulhamus Kayfabe: The Inside Wrestling RPG In Association with Target-Audience Game Design

3 Kayfabe The Inside Wrestling RPG kayfabe n. adj. of or related to inside information about the business, especially by fans. Origin is carny jargon talk for "fake." Ever watch a wrestling show and say to yourself I can come up with a better storyline than that! Well, now is your chance to prove just how creative you can be. Kayfabe draws you into the wrestling industry like no other game has before. Set up your own wrestling shows while at the same time dealing with all the personal issues and drama that takes place behind the curtain. The premise behind Kayfabe is that you and the other players have set up your own independent wrestling promotion in hopes of one day rising to the top of the wrestling industry. Smart wrestling fans know that there is far more to the world of professional wrestling than two guys getting in the ring and beating each other up. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes and in the ring that isn't apparent to the casual wrestling fan. Kayfabe, takes into account all of the behind the scenes intrigue, negotiating and drama that no one sees, as well as the actual wrestling we all watch on television. Players take on the roles of the writing staff and wrestlers throughout a series of televised shows and a climactic Pay Per View event. What You Need Some 6 sided dice and a good imagination is about all you need to play. Having a little inside info on the workings of wrestling is a good help as well. How Many People Are Needed to Play? You can play with as few as 3 people (2 players and a Booker) but the more players you have the more variety you will have for matches. The Booker Most roleplaying games have a Game Master of some variety. Kayfabe is no different. The role of Gamemaster is referred to as the Booker. The Booker controls all the characters that were not created by a player as well as introduces additional plot twists to the game.

4 Establishing A Talent Pool

5 Wrestler Creation Before you can play Kayfabe you need wrestlers. The Talent Pool is a collection of all the wrestlers that are available to work for your promotion. You should only need to establish a Talent Pool once, but you may add new wrestlers to the Talent Pool over time. After a wrestler has been created he should be made available to be used in any Series you play - even if you are running a different promotion. Starting Wrestlers The majority of your talent Pool should consist of relatively inexperienced wrestlers. When first establishing a Talent Pool, each player should create 4 to 10 starting wrestlers using Kayfabe s Character Creation rules. The only restriction is that each person must make an equal number of Faces (good guys) and Heels (bad guys). Experienced Wrestlers Every company needs a few veteran wrestlers to help out the younger guys. If this is your first time playing Kayfabe, each player should create 2 experienced wrestlers. When creating these wrestlers, players should follow the standard character creation rules with the following exceptions: Experienced wrestlers begin the game with 18 points to distribute among their Traits (instead of 12) and begin the game with 20 to 70 Heat. Step 1. Getting Started Take a few minutes to get an idea of the kind of wrestler you want to make. Don t worry so much about statistics just yet. Write a brief description of your wrestler. Be sure to mention his hometown, background, general personality and his relationship with other wrestlers. This description should not read like a laundry list. Use complete sentences and try to be specific. Also, try not to make your wrestler appear larger than life; remember that your wrestler has not hit the big time yet. In addition, don t confuse this description with your wrestler s Gimmick. This description should describe what your wrestler is really like, not how he portrays himself in front of the camera. Be sure to mention things like how he got into the business and why. Is he married? Does he have kids? How does his professional life reflect on his personal life? Where was he trained? What other promotions has he worked for? Try to include as much detail as possible while still leaving some things open so you can expand your wrestler later. Step 2. Gimmick Now give a brief description of your wrestler s gimmick. A Gimmick is a wrestler s in-ring persona. Some ideas for Gimmicks include: former airborne ranger, police officer, clown, or jungle savage. It is possible to not have a gimmick at all, but wrestlers with a gimmick tend to have an easier time with Promos since they have a backstory to work into it. Try to be creative, but don t go overboard. You should also determine whether your wrestler will be a Face (good guy) or a Heel (bad guy).

6 Step 3. Trademarks & Finishers Every wrestler has a move or two that he is known for. Pick one or two specific moves that your wrestler uses on a regular basis, these are his Trademarks. Try not to pick something boring. A Finisher is very similar to a Trademark move, but is more impressive. Finishers are used to finish off your opponent (thus the name). Though a Finisher can be any kind of move, it is more devastating when your wrestler uses it. It is considered unprofessional to use another wrestler s Finisher. Naming Trademarks and Finishers Even the most innocuous maneuver can become devastating when simply given a flashy name. Start calling a headlock a The Vice Grip and it strangely becomes 10 times more effective. Step 4. Traits Wrestlers have a total of 4 primary Traits. They are: Wrestling, Work Rate, Mic Skills and Clout. You start the game with 12 points to split up between them. No Trait may be higher than 4 at this stage, but can be zero. Wrestling Wrestling represents your wrestler s basic ability to execute moves in the ring and make them look good. It not only represents your wrestler s ability to wrestle, but also any other physical abilities that may come into play throughout the game. IN PLAY: During a match a wrestler uses this trait to perform moves and advance the match. When not in a match wrestler s use this trait to simulate any sort of physical action Work Rate Work Rate represents your wrestler s ring psychology. It indicates not only how well your wrestler works with other wrestlers, but his ability to read the reaction of the crowd and progress the match accordingly. IN PLAY: During a match a wrestler uses his Work Rate to control the narration of the match. Mic Work Mic Work represents your wrestler's ability to speak. In one sense it is your wrestler s ability to act, but also represents his public speaking ability and ability to communicate with others. IN PLAY: During a Promo, Skit or Interview you make Mic Work rolls to modify your Heat or the Heat of your upcoming match. Additionally, your Mic Work Trait is also used for any social interaction between your character and NPCs when simple roleplaying does not provide a definite outcome. Clout Clout represents your wrestlers behind the scenes abilities. Wrestlers with high Clout traits are well respected in the business either because they are a good worker or because they've been around a long time. A low Clout score indicates that you have a bad reputation backstage. A high Clout score can help a wrestler influence the outcome of his matches. IN PLAY: During the Locker Room session of the game a wrestler's Clout Trait is used to manipulate match stipulations, finishes, location on the card and a variety of other things. Making Trait Rolls Your wrestler s Traits will be used for different aspects of the game as a random determinant of success or failure. If required to make a roll (Wrestling roll, Mic Skills roll, etc.), simply roll a number of six sided dice equal to the indicated Trait. Rolling at least one 6 indicates success. If two or more players are making the same roll the winner is the player that rolls the most sixes. If there is a tie, the player with the highest die total wins. If there is still a tie, the Booker will decide.

7 Injury Injury represents how hurt your wrestler is. Many wrestlers suffer numerous injuries throughout their careers. Some continue to wrestle, while others are forced to retire. Neck, back and knee injuries are the most common, but wrestlers have been known to go blind or even die. Injuries As wrestlers become injured in the ring (see Risking Injury) they accumulate Points of Injury. When a wrestler has gained a total of 10 points of Temporary Injury those points are converted into one point of Serious Injury. Recovery: Wrestlers lose 1 point of injury at the beginning of each Show. Serious Injuries For every point of Serious Injury a wrestler has he must reduce his Wrestling rolls by 1 die. Recovery: Points of Serious Injury can only be recovered by having the wrestler miss an entire Series (8 shows and 1 PPV) and are removed at a rate of 1 point per Series missed. Heat Heat, represents how the crowd reacts to your wrestler. The amount of Heat your wrestler has determines whether the fans want to watch him wrestle. Faces with a lot of Heat are revered by the fans and cheered. Heels with a lot of Heat are Booed by the fans. Regardless of whether the fans love or hate your wrestler, the more Heat he has the more the fans want to see him wrestle. A wrestler s starting Heat is determined when he is introduced to the promotion (see Introducing Your Roster)

8 Step 5 Assets and Flaws Now it's time to flesh out your wrestler. Each wrestler has good and bad aspects about him. These aspects are referred to as Assets and Flaws. Starting wrestlers can have any number of Assets and Flaws, but must have an equal number. Some samples are listed on the following pages. If there is some aspect of your character that should have an effect on the game that is not listed work with the Booker to determine what effects that Asset or Flaw will have on the game. It is important that these aspects of your character are roleplayed. If the Booker feels that you are not playing your character as he was created to be played he is within his bounds to penalize him through loss of Heat. Assets and Flaws can be gained or lost during the game through roleplaying. Some Assets may be gain through contract negotiations later in the game. Sample Assets Technical Wrestler Your wrestler is skilled at mat wrestling. Performing wrestling maneuvers that involve your wrestler being on the ground are much easier for him to make look good. If the majority of a Move Set consists of such maneuvers you may add +2 die to your Wrestling roll. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Brawler Your wrestler is a bad ass. He is very good at using strength dependent moves like punching, kicking, clothes lines and the like. If the majority of a Move Set consists of such maneuvers you may add +2 die to your Wrestling roll. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Web Site Your wrestler has his own web site where fans can interact with him. Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation. Submission Wrestler Your wrestler is experienced at performing submission maneuvers. If the last move in a Move Set is a submission move you may add +2 die to your Wrestling roll. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Match Specialty Your wrestler is skilled at performing in a specific type of match. Whenever a Wrestling roll indicates that your wrestler is injured in a match of the chosen type the amount of injury he suffers is reduced by 1. (This Asset may be take once per match type) Good Looking Your wrestler is handsome, sexy, alluring or otherwise attractive to members of the opposite sex. Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation. Muscular Your wrestler is muscular and therefore better suited to using strength dependent moves like punches, kicks, clothes lines and the like. If the majority of a Move Set consists of such maneuvers you may add +2 die to your Wrestling roll. High Flyer Your wrestler is experienced at performing maneuvers that involve him jumping or otherwise throwing himself through the air. If the majority of a Move Set consists of such maneuvers you may add +2 die to your Wrestling roll. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Married into the Business Your spouse is well known in the wrestling business and can use his/her Clout to help you. When taking this Asset write up a small blurb about your spouse and how influential he/she is. Your spouse is considered to have 2 points of Clout for each time you take this asset. (This Asset may be taken more than once)

9 Born into the Business Your mother or father is well known in the wrestling business. Growing up in the industry has allowed you to gain a better understanding of how things are run backstage. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Clout during character creation. Huge Your wrestler is larger than the average wrestler and appears very intimidating in the ring. Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation. Trustworthy Other wrestlers respect your in-ring work and trust you to guide them through a good match. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Workrate during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Canadian Canadian are considered to be great wrestlers (even when they re not). Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation. Good Reputation Your wrestler is well known throughout the industry as being respectable and is well like by others. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Clout during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Legacy One of your wrestler s parents was a great wrestler and he is following in his parent s footsteps (at least in the eyes of the fans). Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation. Has a Valet Your wrestler has a valet that accompanies him to the ring. Valets are typically attractive women, but can be men, animals or even inanimate objects. Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation.

10 Match Psychology Your wrestler is very skilled at reading the crowd and knows when to perform different maneuvers. Your fellow wrestlers are aware of this and often let you guide your match with them. Your wrestler gains an additional point or Workrate during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Has a Manager Your wrestler has a manager that does most of his talking for him. A Manager is considered to have 2 points in Mic Skill for each time you take this asset. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Friends in High Places Your wrestler has a friend that has a lot of pull in the wrestling business. Your friendship with this person grants you leverage when negotiating backstage. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Clout during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Trained by a legend Your wrestler was trained by a wrestling legend. This legend has granted you exceptional skills and a potion of his Heat. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Wrestling and 5 additional Heat during character creation. (counts as 2 assets) Versatile Your wrestler is versatile and is able to adjust his wrestling style to conform to the style of his opponent. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Workrate during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Worked in Japan Wrestling in Japan is a great way to gain experience in the ring. Japanese wrestlers have an intense dedication to their craft. Your wrestler has worked a year or more in Japan. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Wrestling during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Established Fan Base Wrestling fans know you from somewhere else. Perhaps you re returning from retirement or you are famous for something outside of wrestling. Former baseball and football players fit into this category. Your wrestler gains an additional 5 Heat during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Acting Experience Before your wrestler joined the federation he was either a stage or film actor. Your wrestler gains an additional point of Mic Skills during character creation. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Creative Control Wrestler's with Creative Control get final approval of any on-air happenings they participate in. Creative Control is rarely given. Creative Control can only be gained through contract negotiation. (counts as 2 Assets). Insurance Your wrestler has great medical coverage and can remove one point of injury after each PPV. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Perks Your wrestler has special privileges that other wrestlers do not receive such as: his own dressing room, first class plane tickets, extra vacation time, etc. A Favor The Booker owes you a favor for some reason. By giving up this Asset you may choose to automatically succeed at one Clout roll. (This Asset may be taken more than once)

11 Sample Flaws Works Stiff Your wrestler has a tendency of legitimately hurting his opponents. During each match your wrestler must Stretch or Shoot on his opponent at least once. Bad Reputation Other wrestlers don t like your wrestler for one reason or another. They don t like being in matches with him and they definitely don t like losing to him. Primadonna Your wrestler has a very high opinion of himself. He doesn t like losing or looking foolish and is likely to complain when booked to do so. Unattractive Your Character is rather unattractive. Your wrestler s starting Heat is reduced by 5 during character creation. If taking this flaw would reduce your wrestler s Heat to less than zero he can not take it. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Friends with the Wrong People Your wrestler has friends that are disliked by those in power. Your relationship with these friends often hinders your Clout. Your wrestler s starting Clout is reduced by 1 during character creation. If taking this flaw would reduce your wrestler s Clout to less than zero he can not take it. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Has Been You were once a well known wrestler, but now you are all washed up. You re either too old or too out of shape to keep up with the younger guys and the fans know it. Your wrestler s starting Heat is reduced by 5 during character creation. If taking this flaw would reduce your wrestler s Heat to less than zero he can not take it. Nagging Injury Your wrestler has an old injury that continues to bother him. Your wrestler starts with an injury of 2 and his injury rating can never go below that. Injury Prone Your wrestler has a tendency of getting injured badly. Whenever your character gets injured in a match add an additional point of injury. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Enemy There is another wrestler that tries to steal your wrestler s Heat at every turn. Enemies are usually willing to risk losing their own Clout just to make sure your wrestler doesn t succeed. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Not Good in Short Matches Your wrestler needs time to get into a match. During the first 10 minutes of a match your wrestler must reduce his Wrestling rolls by 1 die.

12 Untapped Resource For some reason the Booker just doesn t seem to recognize your wrestler s talent. Although he doesn t necessarily get booked to lose every match, he is never scheduled to wrestle anyone with more Heat than himself. Drug/Alcohol Problem Your wrestler is either an alcoholic or is addicted to drugs (usually painkillers). Whenever your wrestler is under the influence of his substance of choice reduce all of his Wrestling rolls by 2. (This Asset may be taken more than once) Limited Availability Outside responsibilities often limit when and where your wrestler can perform. During character creation determine what is limiting your wrestler. Some examples are: can t fly due to injury or fear, another job, outstanding warrants in a state. Flawed Psychology Your wrestler doesn t understand the psychology of how a match should progress, but thinks he does. At least once in each match your wrestler must try to steal control of the match from his opponent. In It for the Money For one reason or another your wrestler has become disenchanted with the wrestling industry. Though he may have started wrestling because he liked it, now he s just in it for the money. Getting Heat isn t all that important to him as long as he keeps getting a steady paycheck. Refuses to Job Your wrestler refuses to lose to wrestlers with less heat than himself. He must Wager Clout whenever scheduled to lose to someone with less Heat. Vendetta Your wrestler is determined to prevent another wrestler from succeeding. After everyone has created their wrestlers choose a wrestler created by another player that has enemy as a flaw. Your wrestler is now considered to be that wrestler s enemy. Selfish Your wrestler is selfish and never takes into account other s feeling or careers. Blown-Up Your wrestler has a tendency to get tired quickly. After a match has gone on for 10 minutes your wrestler must reduce his Wrestling rolls by 2. (This Asset may be taken up to 3 times. If taken twice the die modifier is applied after 5 minutes instead of 10. If taken 3 times the modifier is applied after 2 minutes.) Overweight Your wrestler is overweight and his wrestling ability is hindered because of it. Your wrestler s starting Wrestling trait is reduce by 1. If taking this flaw would reduce your wrestler s Wrestling Trait to less than zero he can not take it. (This Asset may be taken more than once)

13 Create Your Promotion As players of Kayfabe you are in essence running your own independent wrestling promotion. Creating your promotion should be a cooperative effort between all the players. Your promotion won t be a multi-million dollar company (at least at first), but will be big enough to allow you to have a syndicated TV show once or twice a week and enough funds to have a Pay Per View. A few things you should keep in mind when creating your promotion are: where are you located? do you have shows across the country or just locally? do you have a rival promotion that you compete with for territory or wrestlers? and most importantly, what is your promotion call? You can go into as much detail as you like but you should leave some information a little vague to facilitate creative license later in the game. Establish a Roster What s a wrestling promotion without wrestlers? As a starting promotion you will need to aquire talented wrestlers. A starting promotion will consist of 15 starting wrestlers plus 1 experienced wrestler per player. First, each player should pick 1 experienced wrestler. Then, going in a Circle, each player should pick 1 starting wrestler from the Talent Pool to be a part of the federation. Continue in this fasion until a total of 15 starting wrestlers have been chosen. Introduce the Roster After your promotion s roster has been selected each player should take a few minutes to introduce the wrestlers he created that were chosen by cutting a Promo. This Promo will determine the wrestlers starting popularity or Heat. When introducing the wrestler consider the introduction to be the first time he has ever appeared in public. When you're done, roll a number of dice equal to the wrestler s Mic Skills Trait (+/- any modifiers). The Booker will then award up to 10 points of Heat (based on how intriguing your Promo was and how well it was received by the other players) plus 1 point of Heat for each 6 you rolled. It is not necessary to establish a starting wrestler s Heat unless he has been selected for your promotions roster. Rate Your Promotion Your promotion s Rating determines how popular your federation is and what kind of TV exposure you have. Starting promotions begin with a Rating of Zero (1). Rating 1-19 (Unknown) Only your friends and family know about your federation and your shows can only be watched on the interenet. Rating (Local) Your promotion is very popular in the local area and has it s own publis access show. Rating (Syndicated) Your promotion is very popular through out the state and its shows can be viewed on a local cable station Rating (National) You have fans across the nation and your show can be viewed on a national cable station. Rating 150+ (Worldwide) You have fans across the world and your show is aired on TV in several countries.

14 Each Series consists of nine game sessions of about 3 to 5 hours. The first eight session represent individual television shows put on by your promotion, while the last session is a Pay Per View event. Choosing a Booker Before you begin a Series you need to deside which player will be the Booker. The role of the Booker is very important because the Booker is responsible for challenging the players. It is the Booker s job to not only guide the game along, but to also put a road block or two in front of the players. Unlike may roleplaying games, Kayfabe puts much of control into the hands of the players, but the game would be nothing more than a storytelling session if there wasn t someone to throw an obstacle or two in front of the players. Planning A PPV When playing any roleplaying game it s always good to set up a starting point and an ending point. So far you should have arrived at your starting point by designing a promotion and choosing a Roster. Now it s time to determine how you plan to end your Series. In most games only the Game Master knows how the Series will end, but Kayfabe is not like most games. Since wrestling, as we all know, is planned out ahead of time, it makes sense that you should know ahead of time where each of your wrestlers will be at the end of the Series. Or at least where you d like them to be. Each player is responsible for setting up (or Booking) one match for the Pay Per View. The player should establish: Who is in the match? What titles (if any) will be on the line? What stipulations will be involved? Who will win the match? Starting A Series As the Series progresses players will be responsible for making sure these matches happen as planned. the more of these matches that occur at the PPV the better your promotion will look to others in the business.

15 The Booking Committee

16 During the Booking Committee the players take on the roles of the show s writing staff. As the writing staff it is the job of the players to come up with ideas for the upcoming show. This includes every aspect of the show (except commercials). Each player is responsible for coming up with one each of the following events: one Interview, one Promo, one Skit and one Match. Players are free to come up with more than one of each, but you should always save a few ideas for the next show. Players can help each other come up with ideas if someone is having trouble. When coming up with ideas players should try to be creative while at the same time, ensuring their PPV match occurs as scheduled. Players can go into as much detail as they like, but the Booking Committee shouldn t take more than a half hour or so. Players should set a time limit for the Booking Committee based on their available time. It is entirely acceptable to allow players many hours or even days to work out their ideas. In fact, when a game session is short on time it is acceptable for the entire Booking Committee to take place as its own session. If the Booker agrees, players can come up with ideas on their own time and simple give their ideas to the Booker before the session even starts. Once the chosen time limit has expired the players should give all their ideas to the Booker who will then Book the show using those ideas as a guide. Players may go into as much detail as they like with their ideas, but there are a few questions that must be addressed by each player. Who will be involved? What wrestlers, interviewers and so on will be required to take part? When coming up with ideas it makes no difference who created the characters in questions. But be aware that all the roleplaying and match narration will be done by the creating player. Try to be fair so everyone gets an opportunity to participate in the session. Why is it important? Why is the event important to the current storylines. Remember that you re trying to tell a story and each event that occurs on a show is another part of that story. When you come up with an idea, ask yourself if what you came up with would entice you to continue watching the show. What effect will this event have? How will the event effect future shows? Is this just the beginning of a series of events? The end? If the event is a match, will the loser have an opportunity to redeem himself on a future show? Scripting It is acceptable for players to go as far as writing scripts for their Promo and Skit ideas, but don t get too carried away because the Booker may choose not to use your ideas and you will have spent all that time for nothing. The best way to script out Promos and Skits is to concentrate on a few lines of dialog that sound cool and improvise the rest during play. How long with the event take? Remember, the show is only 2 hours long and at least 20 minutes of that will be for commercials. Most matches on a regular show last between 3 and 10 minutes. All other events vary in length from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. Don t be surprised if the Booker is forced to shorten your event to make room for other players ideas.

17 Ideas for Interviews Interviews are the easiest part of the show to come up with. Simply pick a wrestler and a topic. Most interviews will simply be a wrestler talking about his upcoming match or how he s going to beat up so and so at the Pay Per View. Interviews are also good ways to set up matches for future shows or the PPV by having a wrestler challenge another wrestler. Shoot Interviews Shoot Interviews involve a wrestler breaking kayfabe and talking as a real person. Shoot interviews are highly discouraged, but occasionally make sense when explaining real injuries and other real life experiences that effect the show. Though Shoot Interviews can be scheduled during the Booking Committee they are most often the result of a disgruntled or careless wrestler breaking character. Gimmick Interviews Sometimes wrestlers have a regular interview segment where they interview other wrestlers. These interviews are set up very much like a late night talk show. They have their own set and their own style based on the wrestler that is conducting the interviews. They often have clever names like: The Love Show or The Fire Pit. Ideas for Promos Coming up with a Promo can be a little more challenging than an Interview. In most cases a Promo starts out with one wrestler talking about himself or trash talking another wrestler, and usually escalates into a confrontation (either a match or just a brawl). Promos are great for creating conflict between two wrestlers without actually having to schedule a match for them. Promos are also a good way to keep an injured wrestler in the minds of the audience. Match Promos Match Promos take place directly before a scheduled match. Match Promos usually start with one wrestler in the ring cutting what appears to be a standard promo. At some point he will call out his opponent and they will exchange verba taunts until their match begins. Match Building Promos Match Building Promos are designed to build up anticipation for a future match. They begin much like a Match promo, but instead of leading into a match the wrestlers usually fight for a few minutes before being split up by referees or security. The brawling that occurs during the Promo is treated just like a match, but should be limited to 2 or 3 Move Sets after which the wrestlers will be broken up. Ideas for Skits Of all the aspects of the Booking Committee, Skits can be the most difficult to come up with. Despite the name, a Skit doesn t always have to be funny. In fact, a Skit can be any encounter that occurs on the Show that is not a Match, Interview or Promo. Skits can be as simple as 2 wrestlers bumping into each other in the hall or as complex as two wrestlers competing on an obstacle course. The possibilities are endless. There are 2 kinds of Skits: Conscious and Unconscious. Conscious A Conscious Skit is one that involves a wrestler being aware that he is on camera. Wrestlers coming to the ring dressed like other wrestlers as a way of poking fun at them is a prime example of this. Unconscious An Unconscious Skit involves wrestlers who don t seem to know they are on camera. Unconscious Skits often take place in the locker room, backstage or even miles away from the arena.

18 Booking a Match When Booking a match there are a few questions that must be addressed. Though the answers to these questions can be changed later through roleplaying and the Wagering of Clout they must each be initially set up during the Booking Session. When booking a match you need to keep in mind the PPV match you envisioned during character creation. It s important that you try and build up to that match while at the same time keeping it a secret from the other players as long as possible. Who is in the Match? When deciding who will be in a match it is important to remember the PPV match you set up. Try not to book the same wrestlers every time - that s boring. Who is in the Match? When deciding who will be in a match it is important to remember the PPV match you set up. Try not to book the same wrestlers every time - that s boring. What Titles Are on The Line? When booking a match in which someone will win a title, you must keep in mind that most belts require a wrestler to have a specific amount of Heat before the wrestler can posses the title. Failure to meet this Heat requirement causes your promotion to lose integrity and thus it s Rating will decrease by 1 every show until the title is given to a suitable wrestler. Use the following chart to determine if a wrestler s Heat warrants a title. Who will win? There is no need to define who the winner of a match will be at this time. As the writer you can suggest who you feel should win the match especially if it s vital to the storyline. After all the players have given their ideas to the Booker he will make the final decision about who wins. What is the Match s Time Limit? Each show is 2 hours long. Make sure you don t go over that. A standard match will have a Time Limit of anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. Booking The Show Once each player has finished he should give all of his ideas to the Booker. The Booker will then look them over and Book the show based on those ideas. When Booking the show, it is the Booker s responsibility to take into account any Flaws or Assets wrestlers may have that will have an effect on the Show. For example: one of the players has booked the Vindicator to lose against Little Joe Dynamite. Well, the Vindicator has the Friends in High Places Asset, so the Booker changes the match s outcome. The Booker can even switch wrestlers if he likes. Once the Booker has finished he will write up a Booking Sheet and the Booking Committee will end. World Title (Heat = Rating x 2) Tag Team Title (Heat = Rating x 2) Intercontinental Title (Heat = Rating) Cruiserweight Title (Heat = Rating) U.S. Title (Heat = Rating/2) TV Title (Heat = Any) Hardcore Title (Heat = Any)

19 Feuds (optional) Feuds are an important part of professional wrestling. Feuds are the fuel that heats up the crowd. Two wrestlers that despise one another can draw the crowd into their conflict and thereby entertain them. When trying to come up with ideas during the Booking Committee you should consider different ways of starting a Feud. Feuds keep fans interested in the show because they want to follow along to see who comes out on top. Stable Feuds Most Feuds involve only two wrestlers, one Heel and one Face, but there are times when entire groups of wrestlers (Stables) feud with each other. Stable Feuds use only the statistics of the Stable s leader (usually the wrestler with the Most Heat or Highest Mic Skill) when calculating starting Longevity, and Feud Progression and extension. Effects of a Feud As long as a wrestler is in a Feud his Heat can not go below 5. If a wrestler's Heat is lower than 5 when a Feud begins it automatically rises to 5. Starting a Feud The decision to start a Feud is always made during the Booking Committee and must be approved by the Booker. The first thing you have to do when starting a Feud is, determine why the wrestlers are Feuding. Simply disliking one another is not enough to start a legitimate Feud. Be sure not to confuse a Feud with an Angle. The difference lies in the fact that Angles tend to be rather short lived and are a result of a specific event. Feuds on the other hand evolve over time and are usually the result many angles involving the two wrestlers. It should become pretty obvious to you when a series of Angles evolves into a Feud - use your judgement.

20 Determine Feud Longevity Some Feuds last longer than others depending on the amount of Heat the two wrestlers have. In fact, two wrestlers with a lot of Heat can potentially Feud on and off for years. A Feud's initial Longevity is equal to the combined Heat of the opponents (for Feuds with more than 2 participants only the two wrestlers with the most Heat count when calculating this number). Feud Progression Every time two wrestlers involved in a Feud are in a match the Longevity of their Feud is reduced by the Time Limit of that match. Thus, if a Feud has a Longevity of 60 and the wrestlers have a match with a 10 Time Limit the Feud Longevity is reduced to 50. Extending a Feud Every time a feuding wrestler gains Heat from a Skit, Promo or Interview related to the Feud, increases the Feud s Longevity by an equal amount. Ending a Feud As time goes by all things must come to an end. Fans can only tolerate watching the same wrestlers feud with each other for so long before things get stagnant. There are a number of ways to end a Feud. Feud's Longevity Reaches Zero As soon as a Feud's Longevity reaches zero it is done. Additionally, the feuding wrestlers can not have a match against each other until AFTER the upcoming PPV (meaning the rest of the current Series). Injury Sometimes the fans just forget about the Feud. If a wrestler is forced to miss more than 6 shows in a row due to Serious Injury the Feud is considered to be over. Ending a Feud in this way without rekindling the Feud when the wrestler returns reduces your promotion s rating by 1. Booking Sometimes a Feud isn t working out quite like you had hoped. Maybe the wrestlers are having a hard time maintaining their Heat and you don t want to give them as much TV time. Regardless of your reasons, you can prematurely end a Feud at any time during the Booking Committee. Ending a Feud in this way reduces your promotion s rating by 1. If a Feud ends before its Longevity reaches zero make a note of the remaining Longevity for future reference. Rekindling a Feud Sometimes Feuds end prematurely due to Face/ Heel turns, injury etc. If at any time this Feud is restarted you must calculate a new Feud Longevity. The Rekindled Feud has a Longevity equal to the remaining Longevity from the previous Feud plus the combined Heat of the two wrestlers (or two wrestlers with the most Heat for Stable Feuds). Heel/Face Turn One of the feuding wrestlers makes a Face or Heel Turn. Since Feuds require at least one Face and One Heel the Feud must stop. In cases of entire stables of wrestlers feuding, the Feud does not end unless an entire stable turns.

21 The Locker Room

22 During the Booking Committe the players took on the roles of the show s writers. Once the Locker Room Session begins players must switch gears and take on the roles of their wrestlers. It is important that players are able to separate the two and understand that the objectives of the writing staff may be quite differant than the objectives of the individual wrestlers. In some instances player may have already thought of this when coming up with ideas for the show. The Locker Room Session is in many ways the desiding factor in the success of your promotion s show. It is here where the wrestlers interact with each other and determine how the show will actually come together. As the Locker Room Session begins the Booker will present the players with the current show's Booking Sheet. The Booking Sheet tells the player's what matches, Skits and Promos have been scheduled for the current show, how long each will be and who will win each match. During the Booking Committee players gave the Booker a number of ideas about what they d like to see happen on the show. Those ideas may or may not be on the Booking Sheet. Some items may be on the Booking Sheet, but be completely different from what the players intended, while others may be left out entirely. It is now the players opportunity to roleplay their wrestlers reactions to the Booking Sheet. an image that depicts them as a loser or a fool. Veteran wrestlers, who have spent many years building up their image, are most likely to challenge the Booker to protect that image. Likewise, inexperienced wrestlers trying to build their own image are likely to fight for a big victory or a cool gimmick that will give them credibility and thrust them into superstardom. Changing Promos & Interviews Changing a Promo or Interview is a relatively easy task in most cases. Wrestlers with exceptional Mic Skills are often given free reign in such situations. As a rule of thumb wrestlers with high Mic Skills should be given a topic, a time limit and then set loose. However, some Promos and Interviews serve a specific purpose and it s important to the Booking Committee that specific things are said and done. Since most wrestlers are not privy to the objectives of the writing staff, there can be a level of apprehension among the wrestlers. In a sense the wrestlers are putting their futures in the hands of the writers and that can be a pretty risky thing when you don t know how your storyline is going to end. Changing Matches & Skits There is nothing to say that just because a Match or Skit is listed on the Booking Sheet that its outcome is set in stone or that it will even occur. Wrestling can be a dirty business and wrestlers are well known for their ability to politic and backstab to get to the top of the industry. In many cases, going with the flow can result in a wrestler s fall into obscurity. Even though most fans are aware that match outcomes are predetermined, wrestlers often lobby for victories. Wrestler s desire to build an image and none want

23 Using Clout Players can typically adjust matches and match placement on the card through roleplay, but occasionally compromises can't be made. When this happens players can attempt to use their wrestler's Clout. Whenever a wrestler fails to come to terms with the Booker or another wrestler he can use Clout to see if he get's his way. To do this the player roleplays his wrestler's argument and rolls a number of dice equal to his Clout Trait (+/- any modifiers for good narration). If the result of the roll includes at least one 6 the wrestler get's his way. If the roll resulted in no 6s he must abide by the Booker s wishes. Another wrestler can choose to support the Booker and oppose a change. If this happens, the second wrestler can also make a Clout roll. The wrestler who gets the most 6s gets his way. If no 6 s are rolled the die roll with the highest total wins out. Losing Clout Sometimes wrestlers try to get their way a little too often. Each time a wrestlers uses his Clout to alter a match or to Shoot he comes one step closer to losing it. A wrestler can only use his Clout once for each point of Clout he has before losing a point of it. For example: If a wrestler has a Clout of 5 he may use his Clout 5 times, after which his Clout is reduced to 4. From there he may use it more 4 times before his Clout is reduced to 3 and so on. Losing Clout is a result of attempting to use it and has nothing to do with the success or failure of the roll. Wrestler s with zero Clout can not make Clout rolls to effect booking, but can still shoot. Shooting In A Match Intentionally injuring an opponent is equivalent to making a number of Clout rolls equal to the amount of damage done. Gaining Clout Just as there are ways to lose your Clout there are also ways of gaining it. Building up your Clout is almost as important as building up your Heat. Many wrestlers bide their time and suffer through rediculous gimmicks and matches in the hopes that some day it will all pay off for them. Clout can be gained in 3 ways. Experience Simply managing to stay in the business for an extended period can gain you Clout. As time passes your wrestle will learn the intricasies of the business and the secret art of negotiation. After each Pay Per View your character will have the opportunity to increase his Clout (see After the PPV: Character Advancement). Paying Your Dues Every wrestler needs to pay his dues before he advances to superstardom. Clout often represents your character s respect behind the scenes as much as his influence. Showing other wrestlers that you re willing to do the job for them makes it more likely that they will do the same for you. Whenever a wrestler looses a number of matches equal to twice his Clout he gains a point of Clout. Doing Favors for the Booker The other way to Gain Clout is to be awarded it by the Booker. At any time during a Series the Booker may choose to award a wrestler a point of Clout. Wrestler s earn this award by accepting matches that are OBVIOUSLY not in their best interest. Simply losing a match to an inferior opponent is not enough to garner this award unless the wrestler gains no opportunity to reasonably avenge the loss. The Booker may only award 1 point of Clout per show. Shoot Interviews Shooting on another wrestler in an Interview or Promo is considered to be using Clout.

24 Plotting Out a Match Once the Booking Sheet has been given to the players and any changes have been negotiated, the wrestlers can plot out how they would like the match to progress. Usually the wrestlers will discuss a few high spots they would like to do and any moves they don t want to take or perform. Players will often layout how the narration of the match will be executed (i.e. player 1 will narrate 2 Move Sets and then player 2 will take over), but it is not unknown for wrestlers to just wing it once they get in the ring. Winging It is more difficult than planning out the match, especially if there is a strict Time Limit. When ploting out a match players shouldn t go into too much detail or they will simply be repeating themselves when they narrate their match. Backstage Interaction The Locker Room Session is also the stage of the game where the Booker can introduce behind the scene's plot twists and relationships. This is discussed in more detail in the Booker s Section.

25 The Show

26 Interviews, Promos & Skits Interviews & Promos Interviews typically involve a single wrestler or tag team being interviewed in the ring or backstage. In most cases Interviews involve the wrestler(s) talking trash about their opponent(s), but can involve an interviewer asking the wrestler(s) about a recent match of event. Shoot Interviews Shoot Interviews involve a wrestler breaking kayfabe and talking as a real person. Shoot interviews are highly discouraged, but ocassionally make sense when explaining real injuries and and other real life experiences that effect the show. Shooting on another Wrestler Ocassionally a wrestler will sneak real life into an Interview as a way of hurting another wrestler s reputation. Examples of this can be as innocuous as simply saying a wrestler has no talent or as bad as saying a wrestler has a drunk driving record or cheats on his wife. Doing this uses Clout and the target of the Shoot loses anywhere from 1 to 10 Heat based on the severity of the Shoot (Booker s discretion). Promos Promos work exactly the same as interviews, but with one exception - no interviewer. Promos almost always take place in the ring or at the top of the entrance ramp. Skits There are a variety of differnt ways a Skit can be performed. Some Skits involve behind the scenes interaction between wrestlers who appear to be unaware of the camera. These types of Skits can nvolve a simple conversation or plotting between the wrestlers. Some Skits take place in the ring and can involve anything from clever comentary to parodies of another wrestler. Effects of Interviews, Promos and Skits Players involved MUST roleplay their Interview, Promo or Skit. In addition, each player whose wrestler had a speaking role must roll a number of dice equal to their wrestler s Mic Skills Trait (+/- any modifiers). Afterwords each wrestler involved gains an amount of Heat equal to the TOTAL number of 6s rolled plus any additional points as noted below. In addition if the participating wrestlers are currently in a Feud the amount gained is also added to their Feud's Longevity. Was it entertaining? + 1 point of Heat Did it elicit an emotion (sympathy, fear, laughter)? + 1 point of Heat Did it add to the current storyline? or Start a new one? + 1 point of Heat Did it establish your opponent as a Heel or Face (as applicable)? + 1 point of Heat Botched Interviews, Promos & Skits Botched Interviews, Promos and Skits not only make your wrestler look stupid, they also annoy the audience. If NO player rolls a six on their Mic Skills roll each wrestler involved loses an amount of Heat equal to the total number of ones rolled (this could be zero).

27 Matches Wrestler s often make reference to the fact that their matches tell a story. As players of Kayfabe, it is your responsibility to tell that story. Matches in Kayfabe don t involve hit rolls or damage like many other games. Instead players take turns narrating the events of each match and use the dice to determine the crowd s reaction. Match Narration Professional wrestling matches, as we all know, are a sham. The end result is predetermined and the wrestlers do their best to not hurt each other. What many people don t know is that throughout the match the wrestlers are in constant communication with each other. A typical match is filled with instructions being secretly relayed back and forth between the wrestlers. This communication is performed through subtle gestures or discrete conversation. This aspect of the match is not roleplayed, but is instead simulated through narration. When one player is narrating it is assumed that his wrestler is dictating the moves being performed by both wrestlers. Which Players Narrate the Match? The creator of the wrestler that is controlling the match is considered to be the narrator. The Booker must control one of the wrestlers if both wrestlers were created by the same player. How Do I Narrate a Match? Match narration is rather simple. All you need to do is describe what the audience sees. Your narration describes the actions of ALL the wrestlers involved in the match (even ones you didn t create). You are free to do whatever you want, but you should follow some general guidelines:

28 Try and Stick to the Plan Make sure you follow whatever palns were layed out during the Booking Committe and the Locker Room by the writing staff and wrestlers. If it was agreed that you would make your opponent look good, don t make him look like a chump. Don t Be Selfish When narrating a match don t give all the action to your wrestler. Nothing is more boring to a wrestling fan than watching one guy beat the snot out of another guy for ten minutes. Good matches go back and forth between the two wrestlers. Although wrestlers should strive to make themselves look good, the old addage if you don t look good, I don t look good applies here. Remember Your Assets and Flaws Keep in mind that your wrestler is a person and that different aspects of his personality will come into play during the match. If your wrestler is a high flyer don t have him do power moves all the time. If your wrestler doesn t like his opponent consider shooting or ruining the match. Be Enthusiastic Get into your match! Don t just give a laundry list of manuevers. use some detail, make the other players feel as though the match is happening right in front of them. Try standing up when you narrate (it helps). How Long Should I Narrate? The amount of time you spend narrating will depend on two things. One, how long the Match is and two, how descriptive you want to be. See Advancing a Match for more information on this.

29 Starting a Match In most cases, initial control of the match belongs to the Heel, but this will vary from promotion to promotion. Players may simply deside amongst themselves who starts the match. Once the starting narrator has been chosen he can begin narrating the first exchange of moves. That player will continue to narrate until one of the following occurs: Opposing Player Seizes Control Opponent Misreads the Narrator Opponent Stretches A Run-In Occurs Narrator Chooses to Relinquish Control Opposing Player Seizes Control. A wrestler that does not like the way a match is being narrated can choose to use his Work Rate to seize control of the narration. Attempts to seize control of narration often come as a result of one wrestler shooting on another or refusing to sell a move. When a wrestler tries to seize control of the narration all of the narration since the last die roll is disregarded and both players make a Work Rate roll. Whoever rolls the most 6s gets control of the narration. If no 6 s are rolled the player with the highest die total gains control of the narration. A player may only choose to seize control BEFORE the narrator makes his Wrestling roll. Opponent Misreads the Narrator This occurs whenever the narrator fails to roll at least one 6 when performing a Move Set. This indicates that there was a miscommunication between the two wrestlers. Perhaps the crowd noise made one of the wrestlers miss his cue, or something along those lines. Regardless of the cause, some aspect of the moveset went wrong. The new narrator must describe what went wrong before begining his own narration. Opponent Stretches At any time a wrestler can try to forcefully take control of a match by Stretching his opponent. This means the wrestler attempts to dominate the narrator s wrestler through actual wrestling. Wrestlers that lack a high Work Rate often resort to this kind of discouraged activity. Stretching on a regular basis is sure to get a wrestler the bad reputation Flaw. When a wrestler chooses to Stretch all of the narration since the last die roll is disregarded and both players roll dice equal to their Wrestling Trait. Whoever rolls the most 6s gets control of the narration. If no 6 s are rolled the wrestler with the highest die total gains control. NOTE: this wrestling roll does not reduce a match s Time Limit. A player may only choose to stretch BEFORE the narrator makes his Wrestling roll. A Run-In Occurs If another wrestler enters the ring to interfere his controller automatically gains control of the match s narration. Keep in mind when narrating that unless the match was a no disqualification match you should point out why the ref didn t notice the interferance. Narrator Chooses to Relinquish Control The Narrator can always choose to relinquish control of the narration. This usually happens as a result of a player running out of ideas. In some cases wrestlers may have decided ahead of time when they will relinquish control of the match.

30 Advancing The Match During a match players will be required to make a number of die rolls. As these die rolls are made the match's Time Limit is reduced. Below are the 2 primary ways to advance a match. Move Sets A Move Set consists of any number of actions taken in a match that takes apporimately 1 minute. Players are encouraged to start each Move Set with a number of smaller moves like punches, kicks, irish whips and so on, and end the Move Set with a more climatic move like a clothesline of suplex. Remember, a Move Set should fill 60 seconds of match time.the wrestler that had the MOST offense during the current Move Set gets to roll a number of dice equal to his Wrestling Trait plus any bonus dice the Booker awards as a result of "exceptional" narration (usually 1 or 2). Keep in mind that it is the controller of the wrestler, NOT necessarily the narrator that rolls the dice. Every time the dice are rolled in this fashion reduces the match's Time Limit by 1 minute. Rest Holds A wrestler who gets Blown up (see Flaws) can recover by using a hold that allows him or his opponent to rest such as a headlock, or front face lock. Doing this reduces the match s Time Limit by 1 and the Time Limit is considered to be 2 minutes further back than it actually is as far as the Blown Up flaw is concerned. For example, if a match has gone for 5 minutes it is consider to have only gone 3 minutes in regards to being Blown Up. Rest holds do NOT require a die roll and reduce a match s Heat by 5. CLAIRIFIER: During a match you should only have to roll the dice a number of times equal to the Time Limit minus the number of Rest Holds used. Match Heat Matches have Heat just like wrestlers. A Match s starting Heat is determined by averaging the Heat of all the participating wrestlers. A Match s Heat also determines where the match occurs on the card as well as the amount of Heat the wresters gain or lose at the end of the match. There are a variety of ways to increase or decrease a Match s Heat discused below. Move Sets Each time a Wrestling roll results in 1 or more 6's the Match s Heat is increased by 1 point for each 6 rolled. Every time a Wrestling roll results in no 6 s the Match s Heat is reduced by 1 point of Heat for each 1 rolled (minimum of 1). Promos After the first wrestler gets in the ring he can cut a short Promo. Promos usually involve the wrestler calling Out his opponent, or can simply involve the wrestler talking until his opponent comes to the ring. As with Interviews and Skits the players involved MUST roleplay the Promo in addition to rolling a number of dice equal to their wrestlers Mic Skills Trait (+/- any modifiers). After the Promo has been completed the Booker will add a amount of Match Heat to the match equal to the number of 6s rolled plus 1 to 10 additional points based on the entertainment value of the Promo and the reaction of the other players. Crowd Heat Sometimes wrestlers get lucky and the crowd is really easy to please. Some crowds will have a great time no matter what is happening in the ring. Unfortunately, some crowds are just the opposite and can t be pleased at all. Before each show the Booker should asign the crowd a Heat rating between -10 and +10 and apply that amount to each match. Location, crowd size, and weather all play a role in determining Crowd Heat, but there can be any number of factors involved.

31 Wagering Match Heat Sometimes a wrestler has to give 110% to build up a match s Heat. Wrestler s can choose to Wager Match Heat by putting forth a little extra effort. By doing so the wrestler is assumed to be doing something that the fans just won't accept. The move can be anything, but it has to be something that the fans normally would respond to with doubt or amazement. Anything that make sthe crowd scream HOLY SH#T! is worth Wagering Heat over. Some examples of this include: a 500lb wrestler doing a top rope manuever or doing a frog splash from the top of a steel cage. Note that, Wagering Heat is not the same as Risking Injury but some moves can be considered both. To Wager Match Heat the player must announce that he is doing so and how much Match Heat is being wagered (up to 10). If the Wrestling roll results in NO 6s the maneuver either fails or is met with utter disbelief and the Match s Heat is reduced by the amount of Match Heat wagered. If the roll results in at least one 6, increase the Match Heat by the amount wagered. False Finishes False Finishes are an easy way to increase a Match s Heat. False Finishes involve convincing the crowd that one wrestler will win, and then having the pinned wrestler kick out at the last second. False finishes are a touchy thing and involve a lot of match psychology - simply kicking out of a pin isn t enough. False Finishes are a result of two wrestlers building up the crowds anticipation to a peak. Doing this requires both wrestlers to make Work Rate rolls. If Both wrestlers get at least one 6 then the Match s Heat is increased by an amount equal to the total number of 6s rolled by both wrestlers. If either of the wrestlers fails to roll at least one 6 the False Finish fails to build enough anticipation an dthe Match s Heat is reduced by an amount equal to the total number of 1s rolled (yes that could be zero). Shooting When a wrestler Shoots he is intentionally trying to hurt his opponent. Shooting on an opponent works similar to Risking Injury. At any time during a match the narrating player may choose to Shoot on his opponent. When a wrestler chooses to Shoot he must deside how much Injury he intends to cause his opponent (max of 10). The narrator will then make his wrestling roll as usual. If the wrestling roll garners at least one 6 the opponent's Injury Trait is increased by the amount of intended injuryand the Match's Heat is decreased by twice the amount of Injury Risked. Failing to roll a six has the normal effect (but it is obvious that the wrestler was trying to shoot. Example: The Vindicator is angry with Magnus because he messed up in a previous match and now he wants to teach him a leason. He desides he's going to break Magnus' nose (2 injury). If his Wrestling roll garners no 6's the attempt fails and the match continues as usual. If the roll succeeds, Magnus' nose is broken, his Injury Trait goes up by 2 and the match gains 4 points of Heat. NOTE: Shooting and Clout Shooting in a match is considered to be bad form and has adverse effects on the Shooter in the Lockerroom. Most wrestlers will not want to wrestle someone who is known for Shooting. Professional wrestling is about entertainment, not proving how tough you are. Players are discouraged from having their wrestlers Shoot unless it is an aspect of that specific wrestler. Intentionally causeing Injury to someone is illegal and wrestlers can take steps to prosecute or get a wrestler fired for doing so. Shooting on an opponent is equivalent to making a number of Clout rolls equal to the amount of damage done in regards to Clout reduction (and yes, you can still shoot if your Clout is zero).

32 Intentionally Botching a Move Set It is not unknown for wrestlers with a lot of Heat to intentionally reduce a match s Heat to keep his opponent from advancing - wrestlers with a lot of Heat can afford to lose Heat more than those with low Heat scores. At any time before a player makes a Wrestling roll the player rolling the dice may declare that he intentionally screws up. After the dice are rolled he can chose to ignore any number of 6 s he rolled. If the player chooses to ignore all of the 6 s rolled the match loses an amount of Heat equal to the number of 1 s rolled just as if the 6 s were never rolled. Note that ignoring all 6 s may result in a change of narration. Risking Injury Sometimes wrestlers attempt particularly dangerous moves in an attempt to get more Match Heat. At any time during a match the narrating player may choose to Risk Injury to himself, his opponent or both. The Booker can also declare that a move is likely to injure either you or your opponent. When a wrestler performs a move that Risks Injury the Booker must deside how much Injury is being risked (max of 10). The narrator will then make his wrestling roll as usual. If the wrestling roll garners no 6s the wrestlers that were placed in danger increase their Injury Traits by the amount of Injury Risked. If the roll results in at least one 6, the Match's Heat is increased by twice the amount of Injury Risked. For example: The Leaping Luchador does a frog splash from the top rope onto Magnus and there is a steel ladder on Magnus. The Booker determines that this is Risking 4 points of Injury to both wrestlers. If the Wrestling roll garners no 6's both wrestlers increase their Injury rating by 4. If the roll succeeds, the match's Heat is increased by 8. Note: Remember, not all moves are as dangerous as they appear. For example, falling 20' through a table may seem far more danger ous than simply falling 20', but in reality the tables absorb a great deal of the fall. Keep this in mind when determining how much injury a wrestler is risking. Bleeding Fans love blood! If a wrestler bleeds in a match the Match gains 5 points of Heat. This bonus Heat can only be applied once per wrestler. Getting Busted Open Any time a wrestler receives 2 of more points of injury to the face he get s busted open and bleeds. Injuries to other areas of the body can also bleed if it s appropriate. Bladeing Fans may like blood, but most wrestlers don t want to get busted open for the extra Heat. As an alternative, it is common for wrestlers to use a small razer to cut their forehead. Even a tiny forehead cut can bleed quite a bit and once the blood starts mixing in with the sweat it can look really gruesome. Note that fans may love blood, but TV censors don t. Unauthorized blading during a match is considered to be using Clout.

33 No Selling When a wrestler No Sells a Move Set he is intentionally making the move look ineffective. Some gimmicks are built around No Selling moves. Wrestlers with gimmicks that portray them as being tough or unhurtable no sell moves as part of their character - and that s ok. However, when a wrestler no sells a move that he should be selling he risks causing the match to lose Heat. A player can choose to No Sell at any time directly before or after a Wrestling roll. Choosing to No Sell at an inapropriate time causes the match to lose an amount of Heat equal to the number of 6 s rolled instead of gaining that amount. NOTE: You can not choose to no sell if the your opponent is Shooting on you (see below). manager to remain backstage or loser kisses the winner's ass. Match Heat modifiers for these types of matches will vary depending on the effect they have on the match. The Booker should decide what modifiers should apply. Stipulations Match stipulations are guaranteed ways of increasing a match s Heat. A match can have any number of stipulations, but most matches only have 1 or 2, and almost never have more than 4. Each match stipulation is described in the Appendix. Keep in mind that some match stipulations do not work well together. +20 Match Heat 3 Tiered Cage Match, Death Match +15 Match Heat: Scaffold Match, Cell Match, Last Man Standing Match +10 Match Heat: Barbwire Match, Cage Match, Ladder Match, Table Match, Flaming Match, World Title Match +5 Match Heat: Ironman Match, Hardcore Match, Handicap Match, Lumberjack Match, Strap Match, Chain Match, Submission Match, Pole Match, Title Match There are many other stipulations that can come into effect in a match, such as requiring a valet or

34 Using Trademark Moves and Finishers Fans love trademark moves and therefore wrestlers performing them are given extra dice to their Wrestling rolls. Using a Trademark move gives a wrestler 2 additional dice to roll. Using a finisher grants the wrestler an additional 5 dice. Wrestlers can only gain these extra dice ONCE per Move Set. A wrestler can perform a Trademark move any number of times during a match, but only receives extra dice once for every 3 minutes in the match. A wrestler can only perform his finisher once for every 6 minutes in the match without penalty. Each time a wrestler uses his Finisher and does not receive extra dice fans no longer see it as being special and he risks losing it. In such cases, a wrestler s Finisher is degraded to a Trademark move if the Move Set it is used in fails to garner any 6s on the die roll. and a pin is made. If the attempt fails, the match ends as planned. Changing a Match s Finish Some wrestlers are so egotistical and worried about their image that they will simply refuse to let their opponent win (even when the match is scheduled that way). Changing a match s outcome at this stage works nearly identical to the way it s done in the Locker Room. The only difference is that the players make wrestling rolls instead of Clout rolls. Despite the fact that you don t make any Clout rolls changing a match s outcome is consider to be using Clout inregards to Clout reduction. Premature Finish At any time during a match the narrator may choose to end a match early by not letting his opponent kick out of a pin or by Shooting and forcing his opponent to submit. If the attempt succeeds the match ends, if it fails the match continues as usual. Extending a Match A wrestler may also choose to kick out of a pin when he shouldn t or no sell a submission move. If the attempt succeeds the match continues until the original winner reclaims control of the match

35 The Booker

36 Who is the Booker? In real life professional wrestling, the booker is the guy who sets up the matches. He desides who will win and who will lose. In Kayfabe the Booker does the same thing. However, he also has many more responsibilities. Being that this is a roleplaying game and that most players will want to be wrestler, you won't have a separate person to play the guys on the ring crew, the production crew or any of the other hundreds of people that will come into play during the game. It is the Booker's job to roleplay all those "Non Player Characters" or NPCs. not only does the Booker roleplay these NPCs, but he also determines when and where they come into play. Awarding Dice Throughout the game session players will narrate their wrestlers actions. As the Booker you can allo the player to roll up to 2 additional dice if you feel the narration was good. Simply stating that you do a suplex and then a clothesline is not sufficient to get extra dice. Us ethe following as a guidline: My wrestler puts the other guy in a reverse headlock and then gives him a DDT. - no extra dice. The Vindicator crushes Magnus head in a reverse headlock and then falls back into a DDT smashing the top of Magnus head into the mat. - 1 extra die. Vindicator lets out a growl as he squeezes magnus head in a devestating reverse headlock. As the crowd roars, cries of Get him Magnus! and Magnus! Magnus! echo through the arena. Magnus begins to stir and struggle free until Vindicator crushes Magnus skull into the mat with a DDT. - 2 extra dice. Setting Up the Booking Sheet During the Booking Committee the players should have come up with some interesting ideas about the upcoming Show. As the Booker, it is your job to take all those ideas and put them all togther into a conhesive, entertaining show. Time Management It s imperative that you remember that each show is only 2 hours long. 30 minutes for commercials, 50 minutes for matches, 35 minutes for Skits and Promos and 5 minutes for interviews is a pretty good breakdown, but don t feel obligated to stick to that. Giving the Players What They Want Try to use as many of the players ideas as possible. The idea of the game is for everyone to have fun and if a player can t do what he wants how much fun is he going to have? Don t Make it Easy When going over the ideas from the Booking Committee be sure to adjust a few things and add your own style. Don t be afraid to completely mess up the players ideas. Be sure to incorporate wrestler s Flaws and Assets into the mix. If a wrestler has the Friends with the wrong people Flaw, make sure that friendship hinders the outcome of his match. Likewise, if a wrestler has the Friends In High Places Flaw, make sure those friends influence the show. Plotting Out The Show The placement of the match on the Card is determined by the Match s Heat. The matches that fans look forward to the most are typically at the end of the card. The last match of the Card is called the Main Event. The match with the lowest Heat is first on the card and the match with the highest Heat goes last. If there is a tie, the match that involves the wrestler with the highest Heat usually occurs last. Wrestler s can always use their Clout to alter a match s location on the card, so don t worry too much about it..

37 Establishing a Cast of NPC Though it's not necessary to know all the details about every possible NPC that can come into play, there are a few primary NPCs that the Booker should have some notes on. Below is a list of NPC characters that will most likely play an important role in your federation. Take a few minutes to come up with some names and write a paragraph or so about each one. The bigger the roll the NPC will play teh more you should write about him. Other Wrestlers - A small group of 3 players will only have between 6 and 12 wrestlers. Most wrestling companies have many more wrestlers working for them, not to mention the thousands of independent wrestlers out there who will work for a different company every night. As the Booker you are responsible for creating and controling all these extra wrestlers. Even with larger groups you should still create a few wrestlers to hold the titles that the players don't have enough Heat to hold. TV Representative - In some cases a TV station will asign a representative to your company to protect their investment. TV reps can be a hinderance in cases of content, but can be great assets when you need to promote your company. The Booker - Now don't get confused; the Booker is an actual job. As an NPC the Booker is the guy who sets up the matches and determines the winner and loser. This is usually the guy wrestlers will have to talk to to get their match altered. The Promoter - This is the guy who runs the whole show. He pays the wrestlers and sets up the show. In many companies the Promoter will also be the Booker. The Referees - Every federation will have at least one referee to officiate the matches. Referees are very important to the game because they in essense help control the match. The ref not only passes messages back and forth between the wrestlers, but also from the production crew. In some cases the ref is just as important as the wrestlers. The Crew - In addition to the NPCs mentioned above you also have to take into account the ring crew, the medical staff, the TV production crew, security and all the other hard working people that play a part in making a show happen. Censors (Standards & Practices)- Censors usually don't work for the company. In most cases they work for the TV station your show is aired on and make sure your shows don't violate any FCC or station regulations. Having a Censor in the game is a great tool to help the Booker prevent the players from having steel cage, exploding, barbwire scaffold matches every show. Extras - When wrestler's perform Skits it is often necessary to bring in actors to play the role of police officers, medical staff or even fans. Most extras are only used once or twice so there's not much need to write much aout them unless they will be reaccuring characters.

38 Drama As the Booker it is your job to set up conflict and obstacle s for the players to overcome. Most of this will take place during the Locker Room session and will involve forces outside the individual wrestler s controls. Styles of Play When playing Kayfabe there are two different ways you can play: Realistic and Unrealistic. Realistic Campaigns In a realistic campaign wrestlers are just like you or me; they have families, friends, pets, etc. They live with the same problems we all face in our lives. As the Booker, you should play up these things. Money You may not think, after watching pro wrestling on TV, that wrestlers have a tough life, but they do. Starting wrestlers don t make much money - think about it, a wrestler with 10 Heat only makes $100 a night at best. take into account that some independent wrestlers may only work once or twice a week and that money doesn t go very far. Family Issues The home life of a professional wrestler is often a difficult one. Being on the road all the time makes having a family very difficult. Some wrestlers may only see their families a few days out of the week. And as wrestlers get more famous it only gets worse. Wrestlers that work for big promotions may only be home once or twice a month. This can instigate all kinds of roleplaying potential within the game. A wrestler s children can also be a useful tool when devising drama. imagine what goes through an 8 year old s head when he watches his father get thrown through tables and hit with chairs all the time. It s bound to take its toll. Possible Plot Twists Relationship Problems arrange for one of the wrestler s wives to have an affair with a cameraman or another wrestler. This is always a good way to stir things up. The Buddy System Veteran wrestlers can be known for lobbying to get jobs for their friends. Most of the time there s only so much money available in the coffers. It may be time to fire someone. Character Flaws Flaws are a great way to throw a wrench into things. Perhaps a wrestler failed to show up or has shown up "in no condition to wrestle." How will his scheduled opponent react? Or maybe one of the wrestlers finds a vile of illegal narcotic in the dressing room. Getting Screwed Sometime wrestlers get booked in matches that just make them look really bad. Every so often throw a wrestler into such a match and watch him go balistic. Competition A rival wrestling federation has bought up the entire front row for the show. It is suspected that they may try to interfere or otherwise ruin the show. Doing Favors Sometime the owner of the company may order a wrestler to deviate from the scheduled outcome of a match and not to tell his opponent. Will the wrestler follow orders and screw over the other wrestler or will his integrety get the best of him? Moral Issues Schedule a wrestler to win the World Title and then tell him his wife is sick in the hospital. This opportunity may not come up again for some time. What will he do? Contract Negotiations Wrestlers often work for several different promotions throughout their career. Every so often it comes time to renegotiate a deal. Tell one of the players that one of his wrestlers is being reevaluated and if he doesn t have a good match he could be let go.

39 Health Issues Though most wrestlers are in great physical shape, they are still human like everyone else and susseptable to getting sick or injured. A wrestler simply getting the flu can cause all kinds of problems in the game. The wrestler may simply call in sick, or try and tough it out and wrestler through it. What happens when the entire crew comes down with it? Injuries are also a factor. Remember, not all injuries are sustained in the ring. Wrestlers have the same chances of getting hit by a car or slipping on some ice as anyone else. A wrestler breaking his leg in a car accident can ruin an entire series, especially if it happens right before a PPV. The Moral Right There are all kinds of political groups out there that would just love to see professional wrestling go away. It s too violent, It s a bad influence, It s degrading to women. These extremest groups usually limit their involvement to hurting a promotion s advertising potential through lobbying, but some groups may go as far as picketing outside an event, or outright sabotaugeing your equipment. Things could get ugly. Unrealistic Campaigns Unrealistic campaigns play out a lot like an action movie. Try and imagine that your promotion exisst as part of a TV show and not real life. In an unrealistic campaign all kinds of things can happen that may just seem odd or outright silly. Fighting Crime In many ways wrestlers are kind of like super heroes. In an unrealistic campaign it s quite possible for your wrestlers to go out and solve crimes just like on all those prime time TV shows we all watch. Maybe they even have their own cool van that they drive around in called the Muscle Machine. Science Fiction Set your campaign in outer space. Maybe your wrestlers aren t even human. Imagine the wrestling moves you could come up with if your wrestler had 12 arms! The Censors Some things are ok to air on TV and some things are not ok. The censors make that desision and there is no set standard to follow. One TV station may allow blood while another may not. Here are a few things that may get sensored from your show: Male on Female Violence Blood Barb Wire Harsh Language (of varrying degrees) Nudity Homosexuality The posibilities primarily depend on the network that carries your promotion s show.

40 Advancement